{"id":3387,"date":"2015-11-15T13:58:44","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T13:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/?p=3387"},"modified":"2017-01-20T23:15:33","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T23:15:33","slug":"paris-1311-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fashionsphinx.com\/?p=3387","title":{"rendered":"Songs for Paris 13\/11"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes the only way I can communicate with the world is through music. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Music is my love. When I am feeling blue I play soulful music, when I am cooking I play dance music, when I am driving I blast my playlists and sing along for long hours because no one is listening, when I am getting ready to go out I play loud disco to get into the mood. I can be silly with music, I can get reflective with music, and always always always, music expresses for me things that I cannot put into words.<\/p>\n

Anywhere I am in the world the excellent french Radio Nova <\/a><\/strong><\/span>is on playing through my computer.<\/p>\n

On the evening of 13\/11 I had my friends Blanca and Lilka over to dinner. We were talking about our choices of cities to live in. We were comparing London to Madrid, Paris to Los Angeles, Sevilla to Cadiz…..the quality of life, what you look for in a city, in its people. Spanish people are compassionate, my friend Blanca said, Paris is about life and Parisians are grumpy but real, I said. \u00a0London has lost its self, we both agreed on and in LA you find moments of deep connection with a beach city that still has a downtown soul.<\/p>\n

I was trying to put into words my relationship with Paris, a city I have lived in for over 21 years, a city I love and feel at home in. \u00a0My city.<\/p>\n

So what better than my “French Songs” playlist. During dinner I played some of my favorite songs, songs that remind me of my Paris and why I love it so much: “Cafe De Flore,” “Paris Paris,” “Si J’etaits Un Homme,” “Michele”<\/em>……..<\/p>\n

I did not know that a carnage was taking place in the city as I played those songs.<\/p>\n

\"Paris<\/a><\/p>\n

Above: A still from\u00a0Paris: Capital of the XXIst Century <\/em>by\u00a0Malcolm McLaren. A film assembled from an edit of thousands of XX th century commercials I went through in a film archive between 1992 and 1994 for a \u00a0TV project that never was. Subsequently this 1993 TV project became an album called Paris in 1994.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yesterday I sat down in front of my computer to write my weekly post. My mind was blank and my heart too heavy. I had spent most of the day barricaded at home, reading the guardian.co.uk and liberation.fr and answering emails from friends around the world worried for my whereabouts. I sent whatsapps asking for news. “Everyone ok ? I am praying for Paris and you.”<\/em><\/p>\n

I could not write a post. How could I ?<\/p>\n

Then I received an email from my friend, composer Matthew Herbert<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, with a youtube link to his musical homage of Paris. \u00a0This is how I feel<\/em>, \u00a0the music said to me.<\/p>\n

Because I cannot write anything else, because words cannot express the feelings of loss, love and hope that I have for Paris right now, here are some of those songs.<\/p>\n

Below: Cafe De Flore For Paris. November 13, 2012. Matthew Herbert.<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/axKk8qluFzA<\/p>\n

Caf\u00e9 De Flore is a song that is close to me for many reasons. It’s a long story, one which I will write about in another post. How it came about, why, how it nearly did not make it and how it became a hit<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Below is the Trio Reprise version<\/strong>, and my homage to pianist Phil Parnell, a unique artist and a kind man who sadly passed away this year. Phil, this one is for you.<\/p>\n